Sinha-Stanic

CONTRARY to the appearance of the packed space in Bloomsbury, designers Aleksander Stanic and Fiona Sinha opted out of London Fashion Week months ago. "We had decided we weren't going to do anything," Stanic told VOGUE.COM before the show. "But everyone we spoke to said 'What are you doing?!' and eventually we accepted that we had to do something."

They certainly did something; pearly kings and queens were brought to life in various manifestations as the heritage of the East End, which has become the designers' home and workspace, came to life. Hats, buttons, emblems, silhouettes, even the light-hearted air and serious prestige of the pearly families' costumes were communicated.

Purple and maroon sculpted sheathes, styled with maroon tights and stack-heel Dr Martens, were adorned with sun-bleached coloured feathers like the plumage on the kings' headwear. The only non-dress look - an oversized tailored jacket and skinny trousers - called up a cocky cockney sparra' and mother of pearl buttons that screamed "cheapside" and "rockers" on black silk. Chunky zip detailing and patches of shearling on chiffon ensured the collection stayed on the modern side of playfully nostalgic.

"We just wanted something relaxed and intimate, more like a lookbook shoot with friends present," Stanic confided in the aftermath. "As it turned out the space made it work more like a show, but the fact we organised it only a week ago and only had seven models made for a few hairy moments backstage!" Rest assured the super-cool statement capsule betrayed none of the panic.

<a href="http://www.vogue.co.uk/search/default.aspx/Shows/?Designer=Sinha-Stanic">SEE THE SINHA-STANIC SHOW ARCHIVE